Detailed Field Information Enables Better Decision Making and Simpler Collaboration
Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that it has launched two applications that work together within its Connected Farm™ Web-based management solution that provide farmers and their trusted advisors with more detailed field information, which can enable better farm-management decisions.
The announcement was made at the Farm Progress Show.
The solution consists of two Web applications: Connected Farm Field, a field data management tool for the farmer; and Connected Farm Advisor, a field data management tool for the farmer’s trusted advisor. Both applications allow for the management of fundamental field information such as client, farm and field names as well as application or coverage data associated with those fields and crop seasons for which field work was performed. Users can easily import their field data into Connected Farm in one of three ways—by using the Connected Farm Scout app; by using Office Sync, Trimble’s office to field wireless data exchange service; or through the new File Sync utility that allows a user to upload data from various industry in-cab displays via a USB flash drive.
In addition to field data management, the Field application includes tools for ordering, managing and viewing PurePixel™ crop health maps, including the ability to download these maps for use in other data management platforms or desktop software tools including Farm Works® Software. In addition, users can also access tools for ordering, managing and viewing the new RainWave® Contour Maps, which provide precise rainfall amounts within an entire field or farm.
For the farmer’s trusted crop advisor, the Connected Farm Advisor application allows for collaboration on the creation, editing and sharing of variable rate prescription maps based on soil sample data. Using the tool, farmers and their agronomists can easily access and share this information from any location using the Web. Using the application, advisors can upload soil sample laboratory results in the common csv format or the new XML format now supported by major soil laboratories. The tool further enables advisors to create variable rate application (VRA) prescriptions by selecting an interpolation method for the soil data and a VRA formula. VRA prescriptions ensure the plant receives the right amount of nutrients in order to maximize yield, and they are easily shared between the farmer and advisor and can be downloaded in common shapefile format to be used by the application equipment of their choice.
“Trimble’s goal in introducing the Connected Farm Field and Advisor Web applications is to further increase the value of farmers’ data by making it easier to collect and manage,” said Levi Kettle, Connected Farm business area director of Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “By placing the field data within Connected Farm, we continue to provide farmers with a user-friendly way to access critical farm data all in one location. Plus, we’ll enable farmers and their agronomists to easily collaborate and share the appropriate types of data through Connected Farm.”
Field data in Connected Farm is also readily available for use in the Connected Farm dashboard, Connected Farm Fleet Website, and Farm Works Software, allowing farmers to easily manage field and fleet information in the tool that best suits their needs.
The Connected Farm Field and Advisor Web applications are the latest additions to Trimble’s Connected Farm solution, which provides farmers with access to key information impacting farm operations such as rainfall totals, weather forecasts, commodity tracking, fleet management, crop health maps, and irrigation monitoring and control. With this information farmers can make better decisions about their operations.
The Connected Farm Field application is currently available. The Connected Farm Advisor application is expected to be available in October 2014. To learn more, visit the Connected Farm Web site at: www.connectedfarm.com.
About Trimble’s Agriculture Division
Trimble Agriculture solutions enable customers to maximize efficiency and reduce chemical and fertilizer inputs while also protecting natural resources and the environment. Trimble’s precision agriculture solutions cover all seasons, crops, terrains, and farm sizes, and its brand-agnostic strategy allows farmers to use Trimble products on most vehicles in their fleet—regardless of manufacturer. To enable better decision making, Trimble offers the Connected Farm solution which allows farmers to collect, share, and manage information across their farm in real time. To optimize water use, Trimble provides water solutions for irrigation, drainage, and land leveling. Trimble’s product suite includes vehicle and implement guidance and steering, as well as a portfolio of correction options that are the most versatile of their kind in the industry. Additional solutions include an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for aerial imaging and mapping; application control for seed, liquid, and granular products; a harvest solution; and farm management software.
For more information on Trimble Agriculture, visit: www.trimble.com/agriculture.
About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.
For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.